Chess / By Shelby Lyman

In 1958 at the age of 15 he became the U.S. champion, signaling an end to the chess dynasty of Sammy Reshevsky, who had dominated American chess for a couple of decades.

Later that year, he became the youngest ever to be awarded the grandmaster title. That record endured for 33 years.

Garry Kasparov later described his American predecessor as being a decade ahead of his time.

Fischer showed his talents early against Russian and Soviet players at the Central Chess Club - at the time the best in the world - during a Moscow trip in 1958 shortly after winning the American title from Reshevsky. One of his opponents was the future grandmaster Vladimir Alatortsev who, according to the Russian historians Vladimir and Isaac Linder, “saw a tall, angular 15-year-old who in blitz games crushed almost everyone who crossed his path.”

Losing all three games he played with the teenager, “he (Alatortsev) was astonished by the play of the young American Robert Fischer, his fantastic self confidence, amazing chess erudition and simply brilliant play.”

Later, he told his wife and others in admiration: “This is a future world champion.”

Alatortsev’s predictions materialized when Fischer steamrolled Soviet players in a series of tournaments and matches culminating in a one-sided victory in 1972 against the Soviet world champion Boris Spassky in Reykjavik Iceland.

Below is a win by Michael Adams against Peter Svidler from the 5th Classic KO tournament in London, England.